Purchasing vaping products outside the State may turn a consumer into importer before the law

In Pennsylvania, vaping products will be taxed by 40% in October 2016. A tax that goes very far because it does not only apply to the products bought within the state but also in another state. Buying online in any other state or abroad will also need to be declared.

Consumers, like retailers, who will buy vaping products in other states or abroad will become importers and will be taxed by 40%.

Imprisonment for infringers

Vape shop owners and the vapers, themselves, will have to file a report on what they purchased on a monthly basis in order to pay their taxes to the state of Pennsylvania. A $5,000 fine and a 5-year term of imprisonment are foreseen for infringers.

Beside the 40% tax, the vape shop owners will be submitted to a “Floor tax”. This latter, another 40%, also concerns the vaping products in stock on October 1. Owners will have 90 days to pay.

Manufacturers, retailers and vendors will need a state licence to sell vaping products. And of course, vendors will be limited to the products of licensed manufacturers or retailers.

Closings of vape shops are likely, with greater chances of relapse to tobacco for vapers

As a consequence of this law, the owners are fearing to be obliged to close doors. And if they keep their businesses, the offer of vaping products will certainly decrease drastically. At the end of the chain, vapers will be impacted.

Some vapers are fearing to relapse to tobacco smoking as soon as the law comes into force. The owners denounce this decision whose impacts on public health will be disastrous. From the side of employment, it is conceivable that the smallest businesses will be severely impacted.

At the end, only cigars and cigarillos won’t be taxed, in Pennsylvania. Other smokeless tobacco products like nicotine gums will be taxed as well.

Professionals are organizing. A protest before the Pennsylvania State Capitol is being prepared with a on goal: ABANDON TAXES.

This is absolutely insane! Vapers have to file paperwork. Is this s Communist State? Ironically, PA just passed medical marijuana very recently (which pretty much is the same as legalized recreational marijuana, you just need a card stating that a doctor approves your consumption of the product – very easy to obtain – I live in CO so I know this). Regardless, it’s important to highlight that these taxes were pushed through by the state’s Republican legislators. This is highly significant due to the fact that most Vapers and many Vaping Advocates think that these sneaky politicians are somehow allies to the Vape community simply because all of the Vape-related Legislation at the federal level has been supported by all Republicans and only 2 democrats. However, they are simply waiting until their home state legislation comes around so they can overwhelmingly push through high taxes and outrageous guidelines much like Pennsylvania has done. This is such a violation of Constitutional Rights that it has become fairly embarrassing for Americans. I am certainly embarrassed to be American at this juncture and largely disappointed in every single politician no matter what their party affiliation – they do not represent the people – they represent the Big Business Industrialists who pay them (oops! I mean “the Political Action Committees who donate to their reelection campaigns”). This is soon to spread across the country, since so many states are trying to regain tax revenues lost from Big Tobacco. What a blatant scam! This is disheartening as an American and no one does anything about it – the general public has become apathetically numb.

Tony

Great article by the way. I will surely be quoting some of this in my own future written work in which you will be credited as the reference! Very helpful information. This is need-to-know info, so thank you very much!

Will Vafuth

An alright article. a bit alarmist. the final paragraph is inaccurate. the rally (not protest) being planned is not to “abandon taxes”. None are denying a tax. What is being challenged is the unreasonable percentage and legalities of this tax.

Additionally, there is no mention of how this tax comes on the heals of ridiculous FDA legislation which classifies ALL vape products as “tobacco products”

Eyvindur Leo

just kill’em all… we need to start clearing this planet of the corrupt asswipes ruling it

Jason Reynolds

Handled absolutely no differently than the mafias rackets.

Jack Frost

The governor of PA is an animal who cares more about money than the people he represents.